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From Mondo Beer + Pizza on the southbank of the Thames, a 5-minute walk from Shakespeares Globe Theater on one side and London Bridge on the other, the Best Podcast

Another year, another new low in how frequently pitchers use fastballs to start an at-bat.

Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary.

February 7, 2021 Garrett Richards has an uncanny ability to spin a baseball. Per Statcast, the 32-year-old right-hander — recently signed to a free-agent contract by the Boston Red Sox — was 99th percentile in curveball spin last year, while his four-seam spin ranked in the 97th percentile. Moreover, the most-effective weapon in his arsenal, a 2,746-RPM slider, was topped only by Sergio Romo’s 2,913 RPMs among hurlers who threw the pitch at least 200 times. Richards’s least-effective of...

When Baserunning Matters Share this story Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images The Diamondbacks are great at baserunning. Their runs from baserunning was outstanding for the last six seasons. Details are in the following table: data from Baseball Reference Coach Dave McKay’s attention to details was a key part of that achievement. He was interviewed by Jack Sommers of the AZ Snakepit. After saying he looked at videos of that day’s pitchers, he said, “There’s more there - but I mi...